Peak Tours

Whilst most people have heard of the Lands End to John O'Groats route not many people have heard of the Dover to Durness route. So what about the opposite two corners? This sensational tour takes in some of the best cycling the British Isles has to offer, including the Kentish Downs; Rutland; the Peak District; The Yorkshire Dales and the unbelievably beautiful islands and coastline of the Western Highlands.

Have we whet your appetite? The Dover to Durness cycle tour starts in the South East of England and takes in the quiet country lanes of The Kentish Hills and Cambridgeshire. We then head through Rutland, the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales to Penrith and then on to the pretty village of Thornhill in Scotland before we take in the west coast of Scotland and also the beautiful islands of Arran, Mull and Skye before we reach the village of Durness, at the North Western tip of mainland UK.

The lush valleys, lakes and mountains of the Tyrolean north; the romance and old world charm of regions like Tuscany and Chianti; the sheer cultural heritage of the beautiful medieval walled towns; lazy lunches, great food, history, architecture, wine and company, oh and a spot of cycling too. Perfect!

Starting from Munich, Bavaria’s ancestral home, we venture southwards past the well heeled residents of beautiful Lake Starnberg towards the Austrian border. We encounter jaw-dropping scenery in Austria and also cycle into Switzerland very briefly before crossing the border into Italy. We will use parts of the sublime “Via Augusta” cycle route marked in particular by a giggle inducing descent to Merano which will have you feeling like a kid again! From here we continue to the mighty Lake Garda and romantic Verona before arriving at the historic city of Mantova. A welcome flat day across the Po plain takes us to the Appenini mountains and on into Tuscany where we have a well earned rest day in the stunning medieval walled city of Siena. More stunning views and classic Italian towns such as the “Tufa Towns” of Pitigliano and Sorano and villages await as we continue to the final destination of Rome, where you may wish to spend an extra day or two exploring this magnificent city.

Italy is a hilly country and there are a number of climbs throughout this tour as we cross Tyrolean valleys, traverse the Appennini mountains and Tuscan hills with a number of stunning but challenging days riding. The tour is comparable to our Lands End to John O’ Groats tour in terms of difficulty (actually a little harder) although we do have a rest day in Siena which is a great place to explore and rest your legs.

The ‘Munich to Rome’ tour will be undertaken over twelve days cycling with an arrival and departure day either side. We aim to keep away from busy roads wherever possible. The tour encompasses some of these countries most spectacular countryside and exhilarating cycling. It should be noted that the road surfaces in Italy aren’t as good as in France so a minimum of 25mm tyres is recommended with hard wearing tread. Also, on the tour, there are a few sections (never usually more than a few hundred metres) that are compacted gravel. Riding on it is not as bad as it sounds really but the utilisation of these sections have been essential to the overall quality of the route, as they have enabled us to keep the route safe, scenic and enjoyable as opposed to being forced onto dangerous sections of road.

Italy can also get very hot during the summer which is why we choose slightly cooler months when the temperatures should be in the 20’s (as opposed to the 30’s – 40’s in the height of the summer.

Since the 1960’s the End to End has become a firm favourite with the British people. Every year, walkers, cyclists, joggers and runners navigate the length of the British Isles.

Experience tells us that the best way to traverse the length of the country; is from the southwest to the northeast. The rationale behind this choice revolves around wind and transport. The prevailing wind blows from the southwest and the transport connections work best when returning from the northeast of Scotland.

The LEJOG route we will be taking is undertaken over 14 days and we aim to keep away from busy roads wherever possible. It encompasses some of the United Kingdom’s most spectacular countryside and exhilarating cycling.

Whilst emphasis is always on safety we aim to provide a relaxed approach to cycle touring and wish to facilitate a fun and enjoyable tour with many laughs and memorable moments along the way.

Starting from the northern French coast at Ouistreham close to the port town of Caen we continue southwards to finish the tour near Nice on the Mediterranean coastline 10 days later.

So, Why France? France is a wide and diverse country which contains a variety of different and stunning landscapes. France is also only one quarter as densely populated as the UK and much more rural so the roads are quieter and cyclists are treated with a good general level of respect.

Most people have heard of the Tour de France and the country can arguably be considered the cultural home of cycling. We will cycle through some of the iconic landscapes that you may have seen whilst watching “The Tour” and most notably we will take in the unforgettable Mont Ventoux and Gorge de Verdon en-route to Nice.
France enjoys much better weather than the UK so chances of a dry and sunny tour are much more likely than if tackling LEJOG although it must also be noted that it can get very hot in the summer months, especially in the south.

France is also well known for it’s gastronomy and also fine wines and we will do our best to ensure that you sample plenty of the delights on offer. Added to that a rich culture, medieval villages and stunning architecture, all of which makes France an ideal place for a long distance cycle tour. Covering the country from the English Channel to the Mediterranean enables you to visit many of Frances most beautiful and interesting places.

Starting from the northern French coast at Ouistreham close to the port town of Caen we continue southwards to finish the tour near Nice on the Mediterranean coastline two weeks later.

So, Why a cycle holiday in France? France is a wide and diverse country which contains a variety of different and stunning landscapes. France is also only one quarter as densely populated as the UK and much more rural so the roads are quieter and cyclists are treated with a good general level of respect.

Most people have heard of the Tour de France and the country can arguably be considered the cultural home of cycling. We will cycle through some of the iconic landscapes that you may have seen whilst watching “The Tour” and most notably we will take in the unforgettable Mont Ventoux and Gorge de Verdon en-route to Nice.

France enjoys much better weather than the UK so chances of a dry and sunny tour is much more likely than if tackling LEJOG although it must also be noted that it can get very hot in the summer months, especially in the South.

France is also well known for it’s gastronomy and fine wines and we will do our best to ensure that you sample plenty of the delights on offer. Added to that a rich culture, medieval villages and stunning architecture, all of which makes France an ideal place for a long distance cycle tour. Covering the country from the English Channel to the Mediterranean enables you to visit many of Frances most beautiful and interesting places.

Our stunning new cycling tour of the Highlands of Scotland. Over the course of 7 days, we will cycle from Inverness over to the inimitable west coast of Scotland and back round to the east for some truly magical cycling.

For those that love a challenge we have built into the tour the holy grail of UK ascents “Bealach na Ba” the UK’s greatest ascent of any road in the country. This beast of a climb is not for the fainthearted and there is no tougher or more rewarding climb in the whole of the UK! Fortunately for us there is an equally impressive, equally spectacular, shorter, easier route round it if you wish to avoid it.

There are different route options on some of the days on the Highland 500 to satisfy both ends of the cycling spectrum, so two people of differing abilities will get the same amount of enjoyment from the same tour. There are a number of challenging hills on this tour and as always you will benefit from a good amount of training before the trip but it is possible to make the tour easier or harder at times according to your preference.

Scotland is home to some of the most incredible cycling the UK has to offer. We start by heading west from Inverness for a fairly easy ride out to lovely Loch Carron then on to the splendid isolation of Kinlochewe, taking in either the legendary “Bealach na Ba” or the easier route to timeless Shieldaig. Winding our way up this majestic coastline we stay at the vibrant town of Ullapool and wild, remote Durness before heading back over to the eastern coast where we finish our journey back at Inverness. White sandy beaches and crystal clear waters abound, not to mention the abundant wildlife and sweeping vistas of the Scottish highlands make this tour a truly amazing experience.

This week long tour has been designed to take in many of Provence’s highlights whilst also allowing time for relaxation and exploration if desired. With arrival on Saturday at Marseille airport we then transfer to the world cultural heritage city of Arles in the south west of Provence. Well known for it’s well preserved Roman amphitheatre and also where Van Gogh painted many of his famous paintings, Arles is a lovely little city to start our tour.

Venturing north the route continues to the jewel in Provence’s crown, Avignon, where we spend two nights. The route to Avignon is only 45 miles and for those who would like more cycling we have an extra ride out to the Roman aqueduct at the Pont Du Gard. Our second day in Avignon sees us cycling north alongside the river Rhone deep into wine country and the area known as the Vaucluse with the vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and there are many options for shorter or longer rides depending on your preference.

Leaving Avignon we head east passing a number of attractive hill top towns such as Gordes and Rousillion to the town of Apt where we stay for two nights. Our ride from Apt explores the area known as the Luberon with it’s numerous golden-hued, perched villages and limestone gorges. Again you have the option of a shorter ride if you prefer to take it easy.

Continuing north our route takes us along the stunning scenery of the Gorge de Nesque and onto Sault, surrounded by fragrant lavender fields. The finale is a ride to the summit of Mont Ventoux which makes a fitting end to this magnificent tour of Provence (there is an easier ride for those that don’t wish to climb Ventoux).

Riding in Portugal is a pure joy, it is the antithesis of the hustle and bustle of normal life. The first thing you may notice when riding out there is the utter peace and quiet, you can’t even hear a plane or a car sometimes. The roads are generally good surface (apart from the ubiquitous cobbles you see in almost all town centres) and the traffic is minimal. Riding in this peaceful country is also like stepping into a time machine in parts, as you will find yourself riding through villages where they still use horse and cart to get around; who knows what they’ll think when a group of lycra-clad joyriders speed through their backyard! From the boulder-strewn hillsides, hilltop castles and deep-ridged valleys of the north; to the majestic sweep of the steep-sided, vineyard packed Douro river; to the beautifully restored “Pousada’s” and stately “Marble Towns”, to the tranquil rivers and pleasant farmland of the Alentejo region; all culminating in a dramatic finish at the sea! We truly hope you have a fantastic time exploring this wonderful country and come away with some great memories.

This fantastic tour is designed to be a little less rigorous than some of our more demanding end to end trips. This is still a hilly trip in parts, especially in the first four or five days and should be prepared for with adequate training, but the gradients are much more manageable ranging from around 2% to 5% typically and only ranging up to around 6% – 10% in a few short sections. The mileages are also less than on many of our end to end tours which allows more time for relaxation in the afternoon/evening. There are a few long ascents early on in the tour but these are typically on the shorter end of the percentage scale and they tend to use switchbacks to lessen the blow so we are confident that most of our Peak Tours customers will find this trip eminently achievable.

Over the course of 7 days, we will cycle from Penrith and cross the Scottish border heading along the north-west coast of Scotland finishing in the ancient village of Durness one week later. This tour has come about through popular demand from our customers and follows the same route as the second week of the Dover to Durness ride.

Scotland is home to some of the most incredible cycling the UK has to offer. We set out heading north from the beautiful surroundings of the northern Lake District and then on to the pretty village of Thornhill in Scotland before we take in the west coast of Scotland and also the beautiful islands of Arran, Mull and Skye before we reach the village of Durness, at the north western tip of mainland UK. White sandy beaches and crystal clear waters abound, not to mention the abundant wildlife and sweeping vistas of the Scottish highlands make this tour a truly amazing experience.

The Mizen Head to Malin Head cycle tour or “Head to Head” conjures up a variety of images, rolling green fields, fantastic pubs, the “Craic”, a puncture or three, stunning scenery, and a tremendous sense of achievement. In devising this route we have heard on numerous occasions from our customers that “it’s only on our doorstep and I don’t really know much about it”….well now is a good a time as any to find out.

Experience tells us that the best direction to traverse the length of the country is from the southwest to the northeast. The rationale behind this choice revolves around wind and transport. The prevailing wind blows from the southwest and the transport connections work best when returning from Belfast International Airport.

The Mizen Head to Malin Head route will be undertaken over ten days cycling and we aim to keep away from busy roads wherever possible. It encompasses some of Ireland’s most spectacular countryside and exhilarating, wild scenery. Although the cycling in Ireland is great, there are times throughout the tour that the road surface is not as smooth as you may be used to. To this end, after testing all the roads on the trip, we are recommending completing the challenge on sturdier tyres of 28mm and up (25mm absolute minimum), to increase your comfort and enjoyment of the tour.

You are provided with detailed route notes and for those with Garmins, we also have Mizen Head to Malin Head GPX files of the route (or you can hire a device from us with the route loaded on). A tour leader cycles at the back of the group and there is a support vehicle on hand should you require assistance. We also carry a few spare bikes just in case you have any major mechanical problems. Lunches are provided at a pub or a café each day and all your luggage is moved for you.

Whilst emphasis is always on safety we aim to provide a relaxed approach to cycle touring and wish to facilitate a fun and enjoyable tour with many laughs and memorable moments along the way.